


Imago

by blessende



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-18 14:51:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14854862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blessende/pseuds/blessende
Summary: An interlude between Spidey and Mantis. After all, a bug in need is a bug indeed.





	Imago

 

_Imago_

 

 

When you’re not really a superhero and when your best trick in the trunk is lulling people to sleep, she wonders why he flees at the sight of her. The webbed creature. The spider. The spiderling. Though he insists on being called _Spiderman_. Mantis follows him from relic to relic in a valley of ruins, her antenna wiggling in anticipation. “Stop,” she calls after him. It’s a futile endeavor for he creeps away every time she closes the distance between them. “I won’t hurt you,” she insists to the crawler, trying to keep up with his pace.

“Uh huh. That’s what they _all_ say,” he says and slinks away again. “I’ve seen enough horror movies, ma’am.”

He’s oddly polite even when he’s scampering away or shooting cobwebs at her. Such a strange boy. But she likes the pursuit. 

She pouts at his retreating back and stretches out her arms to allay his fears.

“Just one look inside your mind. That’s all I need. We must be prepared for Thanos when he arrives.“

The boy refuses. “Nuh uh. Not gonna happen. I’m onto you. If you’re thinking about laying eggs inside my head, forget about it, Mantis lady. I like my brain, thank you very much.”

She finally accosts him in a ravine— a ravine so dead and silent, it sends shivers down her spine. Here, there’s no debris to anchor himself to. No perch to hide under; the arachnid boy is caught in the open and he knows it. Mantis leaps, tackling him down hard and after a rough tumble down the slope, she gets up and shells him in her arms, thwarting his attempts to cobweb her again. Clasping his head between her hands, she wiggles her antennae again, shushing the boy. Peter goes rigid. His protests die down, and he turns into putty under her psychokinesis. Her hands glowing warm, Mantis promises to do him no harm and taking a deep breath in, she plunges in, delving into the mind of the earthling.

One glimpse is all it took. For his is an open mind. There are no barriers, no fences. Not like the others. She sees a great many things in that cluttered mind of his.

An orphan child crying at his uncle’s funeral.

A dumpster diver rummaging through a scrapyard, whooping at every new discovery.

Building toys with a friend, a life of enthusiasm.

The bite from an insect, and then a world upturned.

Mantis sees an older woman as well... with kind eyes and a flair for puns. Here, Peter’s aura grows warm and she detects a surge of affection in her subject. She sieves through his mind gently, a solitary traveler making her way through a lifetime of memories. She smooths out the corners, softens the rough edges. And behind the façade of teenage wit, love for adventure, hero worship and a fog of ‘Mr Stark! Mr Stark! You gotta see this!’— she finds a boy.

Just a _boy._

He spasms between her arms.

“Sshh, it’s alright,” Mantis tells the arachnid in her arms. “Hush now. I’m just trying to help you, it’s a favor for your friends. Don’t be alarmed.”

She wraps her arms around his shoulders, comforting him. She hums, clicks her tongue and sends a soothing vibe to her fingertips, letting him relax into her fold.

His shoulders sag, the tension in his shoulders easing.

When he speaks again, he sounds much calmer and serene.  

“Wow," he admits. "This... isn't so bad."

"See, I told you so."

There's a perceptive pause. Peter nods.

"You’re… not _really_ a mantis, are you, ma’am?”

She lets out a giggle.

“Why do you say that?”

“Cos’ they’re known to chomp off their mate’s heads.”

This little trivia surprises her. Mantis thinks her cousins from earth must be quite violent and brutal. (On the bright side, girl power, yay!)  

“Really?” she asks him in surprise.

Peter hums in agreement and looks like he’s enjoying a day at the spa. His cheeks glow warm, his back sinking against her.  

“Yeah. I read it in AP Biology,” he trails, letting out a sigh of comfort. “I totally aced that class last semester.”

Mantis smiles for she can see the memory as Peter remembers it. 

“Don't worry. I'm not like my cousins,” she tells him.

“You won’t lay eggs either?”

“No.”

“You swear?” he asks. “Bug to bug?”

“Yes, Peter,” her smile goes wider. “It’s a promise, _bug_ to _bug_."

 

 

* * *

 


End file.
